


Sex Restrictions

by AlexiaBlackbriar13



Series: Adventures in Star(ling) City General Hospital [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Dr Schwartz is just done, F/M, Future Fic, Hospital Check-Ups, Hospitals, Humor, Implied Bottom Oliver Queen, Implied Top Felicity Smoak, Past Injuries, Post S6, Post S6 Speculation, Sex Restrictions, discussion of sex, for medical reasons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 13:40:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14812418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexiaBlackbriar13/pseuds/AlexiaBlackbriar13
Summary: Oliver has back, pelvis and knee problems stemming from past injuries due to Green Arrow work. In a post-operation check-up, Dr Schwartz advises against all strenuous physical activity.Yes, that includes sex.They manage to reach a compromise.





	Sex Restrictions

**Author's Note:**

> i saw elle (@fellicityqueen) and cait (@lgbtsmoak) tweeting about this the other day and HAD to write something, i'm sorry

“You can’t be serious.”

Beth rolls her eyes as she updates her favorite patient’s chart with his new painkiller prescriptions. “There’s no need to be so dramatic, Oliver.”

“Really?” he replies, his voice high-pitched. “Because I definitely think there is, in this case.”

Motioning for the archer to hop up to sit on the medical bed, Beth turns away to place his chart down and draw up a chair for herself. It’s been two weeks since the emergency operation Beth, George and a single trusted surgeon performed to fix a major pelvis injury Oliver had sustained out in the field. While Beth appreciates Oliver’s work to protect the city and save its citizens, she does not appreciate how often his work results in him getting hurt, especially considering she’s the one who has to patch up his more dangerous wounds. She can’t imagine how stressed out Felicity and William must be by Oliver’s recklessness. Beth thought that Addie being born might clue Oliver into the fact that he needs to be more careful out in the field, but apparently, he’s just as stubborn as always.

The tissue around where he dislocated his hip has healed well, although his pelvis is still relatively fragile from almost being crushed. Oliver may loathe to admit it, but he’s not as robust as he once was. He’s battered and bruised and damaged physically, and twelve years of hell, war and struggles have mangled his body. He’s had his knee issues since he returned from Lian Yu and his back problems for nearly two years now. He’s wearing himself out.

He needs to look after his body, become more mindful and attentive to its needs. So Beth’s been setting him rules. None that will drastically change his lifestyle, but ones that will lead to his body being treated better, such as limits on the lengths of his workouts, restrictions on what parkour moves he’s allowed to do. Oliver’s been receptive to every one of them so far - but it appears the doctor’s last rule has pushed him too far.

“ _No sex?_ ” the archer repeats. He sounds horrified. As if it’s the end of the world. “Please tell me this is a joke.”

“Sex is an extremely physical activity, Oliver,” Beth tells him patiently. “It will put a lot of strain on your pelvis, back, and knees. Your body could give out on you halfway through.”

Oliver glares at her. “It’s never given out on me before.”

The doctor sighs. “But it _could_. You could permanently cripple yourself even more than you already have. I don’t think you want Felicity and William having to push you around in a wheelchair before you even reach the age of fifty, do you?”

“No… but that’s _not_ going to happen.”

“Oliver Jonas Queen, I am informing you as your doctor that _there is a high possibility that could happen_.”

He glances away, muttering under his breath, “Felicity is really not going to be happy.”

Beth slides her chair closer to the archer, placing one of her hands on top of his gently. “Not being able to have sex might change the more intimate dynamics of yours and Felicity’s marriage, but it is not going to affect the way you love each other. Stop looking so miserable. You’re coming back here in two months for another X-ray to check up on your pelvis, so we’ll review then, okay? But for now, please just listen to your doctor’s advice.”

“As much as I hate it.”

“Two months without sex is not going to kill you, Oliver.”

“So I’m allowed to be the Green Arrow but I’m _not allowed to have sex?_ Please explain how that’s supposed to work. Surely Green Arrow-ing is _worse_ than sex.”

He’s really not going to let this go, is he? “Oliver, I’m not stupid enough to believe that if I tell you you’re not allowed to go out as the Green Arrow, you’ll do as I say. And I can’t ask you to stop when it’s such a fundamental part of your life and you’ve grown to mentally depend on being the Green Arrow to cope with your past traumas. Not being allowed to be the Green Arrow would send your mental state spiraling - not being allowed to have sex for two months is a mild inconvenience.”

Oliver shoots her puppy dog eyes, an expression of devastation on his face. “But it’s _sex_. I love sex with Felicity. She loves sex with me. We didn’t get to have enough of it over the last two years because of how chaotic our lives were in both a personal and vigilante sense and we had William and now we have Addie. We finally have time to properly enjoy each other’s bodies and you’re telling us we _can’t_?”

“God, you’re such a _man_.”

“Dr Schwartz,” Oliver whines.

“You’re going to drive me to the psych ward by the end of the year,” Beth groans. “Oliver, you need to understand, I’m not telling you that you can’t have sex to be mean or punish you - sex is just _too physically demanding_ for you right now!”

“I’ve been fine since the operation.”

The doctor freezes. She slowly turns to stare at the archer. Oliver glowers back at her for a moment before realizing what he just admitted. His expression of irritation and upset transforms into one of sheepishness and guilt.

“What did you just say?” Beth asks, trying to keep her voice steady because internally she wants to scream at him. She’s fighting the urge to stand up and shake him by the shoulders while yelling at him for being an idiot.

She should feel satisfied at the hint of fear on Oliver’s face as he squeaks, “Nothing,” but she’s angrier that he ignored her advice.

“Oliver, did you have sex with Felicity in the last two weeks when I specifically ordered you _not_ to?”

“...”

“I’m actually going to kill you.”

“I’m sorry! John and Lyla were babysitting the kids, we were having a romantic dinner and one thing lead to another and -”

“I don’t need to know the details,” Beth cuts in. “I should tell you no sex for _four_ months for so blatantly disobeying me like that.”

“Please don’t.” Oliver pauses. “So since I was fine in the last two weeks -”

“ _Oliver._ ”

“Okay, shutting up.”

But he fixes those massive, blue puppy dog eyes on her again and Beth just can’t deal with that. He’s going to start pouting at her if he tries to convince her to change her mind even more and she doesn’t think she’d know how to deal with a pouting, puppy-dog-eyed Green Arrow. She grabs Oliver’s chart from the counter to look over his X-rays. They show that his knee injuries are improving, and she knows from talking to Oliver that he no longer gets any pain while walking, and only little twinges while running. He’s seeing a physiotherapist for his back problems, who has given him strengthening exercises for both his spine and pelvis. His body is a wreck, but he’s still generally quite fit for a man his age.

“You know what? Fine,” Beth says.

Oliver lights up. It’s almost comical how happy he is being given permission to have sex from his doctor. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You can have sex. But Oliver…” And god, being Oliver and Felicity’s friend is going to make this so much more awkward to say. “Look, you have to stay reclined, okay? I know you have good core strength but you seriously have to stay lying down. Don’t… try and take as much control. Be gentle with each other. Let Felicity take the reins. You know, be a bit more… passive.”

Oliver blinks at her.

There’s a beat of silence between them.

Beth doesn’t break eye contact with the archer.

“Are you saying -”

“Yes.”

“Felicity should -”

“ _Yes_.”

He nods. Inhales and exhales, bites his lip. Beth resists the impulse to stand up and walk out. Oliver is not making this easy for her.

Eventually, the archer tilts his head towards her and says, “Dr Schwartz, are you genuinely trying to tell me that it’s your opinion as a medical professional that due to my back, pelvis and knee problems, I should bottom when I have sex with my wife?”

“Yes, Oliver, that is precisely what I’m trying to tell you.”

He bobs his head, peering down at his hands and clearing his throat. “Right. Okay. So… so not changing much then.”

Oh.

 _Well_ , then.

“I’m going to write you a doctor’s note,” Beth tells him, very pointedly not meeting his eyes now because she would never have thought Oliver Queen would be a submissive during sex but _wow_ does that make sense now she’s thinking about it. Thinking about it _way_ too much. “In case Felicity, John and the rest of the team want to know the set of rules I’ve given you. I’m going to write a separate letter to Felicity about the sex restrictions.”

“Yeah, I don’t think John or the others would want to read about that.”

Beth quickly writes the two doctor’s notes, signing them off at the end and writing down both her email and personal cell phone number as well, in case any of them want to contact her. Oliver remains sitting on the medical bed, kicking his legs back and forth. It seems he can’t help but fidget as he waits for the doctor to finish. Considering they just spent the last five minutes or so discussing sex, Beth doesn’t blame him for wanting to leave.

“There you go.” She places the two notes in an unsealed envelope and passes it over to the archer.

Oliver slides off the bed and takes it with a heartfelt, “Thank you.” He leans in to give the doctor a brief, warm hug before saying goodbye and exiting the room.

Beth waits a minute until she can be sure that Oliver has left the corridor. Then she pulls out her cell phone and calls the first speed-dial number.

“ _Hey, honey,_ ” her wife greets her. “ _How’s work going? Don’t you have the Green Arrow himself coming in to see you today?_ ”

“I know entirely too much about his sex life now.”

“ _I’ll have the wine ready and poured for you when you get home._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> tumblr: @alexiablackbriar13  
> twitter: @lexiblackbriar


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